[AstroTurf]

Hey... Mind if I use that?

Etymotic Alien Probe Technology, Created by Aliens for You.

NaNu NaNu...

Lovin every minute of it, LOLz, Jim

PS Congrats on your choice. Hope they work out for you!

 

[Vargulf]

Lol I actually filched it off someone else on a headfi post so you'll have to trace it back to the source...
 

 

[FieldingMellish]

Remember that whatever you get, if it remains in good condition and you get tired of it, you can always come back to Headfi and sell it at a small loss. Consider that a rental fee that comes out to small change considering the extent of time you might have used it. Otherwise, how does anyone get to taste exactly what these things are like in feel, touch, handling, and sound? I myself had amassed a small handful of IEM's and so far have sold several of them. It's win-win.

 

[Vargulf]

Yeah it is good when you think of it that way/especially since I'm allready planning an upgrade and I haven't received them yet lol! 215's should arrive in the coming week, the bassiness of them described in reviews put me off but I'm hoping I can adjust it through the EQ of my FiiO. If not I'm looking closely at a red ed SE535 or the westone with removable cables....
 

 

[Vargulf]

While I'm thinking... with all of us rocking round with a 'blocky' DAC/amp minied to our phones/PMPs has anyone found a product for holding them. So far I have tried fitting them in my pocket or carrying them in my briefcase... In my pocket I look I'm smuggling drugs and in the briefcase every time it swings out I get a tug at my ears. Obvious solutions are a backpack or bumbag but both arn't applicable fashion accessories!
Those arm things that hold a mp3 player for the gym and jogging can anyone recommend one that could secure a phone on one side with FiiO opposite?

 

[potatoos]

For around $200, you can get a pair of customs from Cosmic Ears. Just keep in mind that you have to pay for shipping, and impressions. I think that the total should come out under $200 though for the base model.

 

[FieldingMellish]

Quote:

While I'm thinking... with all of us rocking round with a 'blocky' DAC/amp minied to our phones/PMPs has anyone found a product for holding them. So far I have tried fitting them in my pocket or carrying them in my briefcase... In my pocket I look I'm smuggling drugs and in the briefcase every time it swings out I get a tug at my ears. Obvious solutions are a backpack or bumbag but both arn't applicable fashion accessories!
Those arm things that hold a mp3 player for the gym and jogging can anyone recommend one that could secure a phone on one side with FiiO opposite?

 
There's small bags of sorts. Some have used point and shoot pouches. Part of that decision is how one is dressed in general and if it's cold outside. Stuff like that. Something like a fanny pack could work, but not when wearing a coat. Else you can look like Johnny Wadd. Also, how often is a person going to look at the gear to choose songs and whatnot. I keep going back to the motorbike thing. What will work with that. Is that still a concern, or are you talking about walkabout carry?
 
Some Maxpedition goodies:
 
 

 
 

 
 

 

[Vargulf]

Oh! yeah, yeah yeah no, no no.... but. This is talking bout walkabout carrying, sorry. Like you mentioned I have the inner pocket in my bike jacket so thats taken care of...
This is for all times on foot including at the gym and possible on a road race bicycle. So that hip one looks ok, but a bit bulky for the gym. I wondered if there was an arm one you could put on the bicep with the mini to mini circling the arm  with the phone on one side Fiio on the other and secure enough that you could set and forget it.
 

 

[Vargulf]

it might not be anywhere near as practical or as easy to buy said product as I'm picturing...
 
I have a nice small backpack I might start employing instead

 

[FieldingMellish]

Check out Manhattan Portage. They make a bunch of different unisex bags for city life. Also, there was a line at athletic supply places such as Paragon Sports, ones by Eagle Creek. Nice stuff.

 

[conkerman]

On the bike forums I frequent. The Westones had an excellent reputation.
 
I have Shoei XR1000 with the whisper kit attached, works well, but it is very tight getting the helmet on. I ended up using a pair of modified cheapo JVC's.
 
I cut away the strain reliefs so the whole IEM was in my lug hole.
 
It worked remarkably well, both for Isolation and quiet background music/Radio 4.

 

[Vargulf]

Yeah the Shoei definitely had the best fit for me but was really really 'secure'. I ordered the Shark Speed-R cause it was made for glasses (and I think will be good with IEMs). Probs Shoei next time tho it was like a glove, I just don't like that they charge so much more with none of the conveniences others have started putting in their lids. They claim its extra safety and hand made but independent tests show them being less effective than cheaper brands sometimes. I mean they all meet AS/NS...
 
Thanks everyone for your help the Shure 215's arrived and they are beautifully built. Fit is friggin amazing, I can't imagine how customs can top these for fit! Tips on them when they arrived were perfect. Tiny downside is they are a little hard to take out lol, I missed like 3 phone calls and on the 4th gave up and answered with loud speaker but I think I was yelling loud enough to bust up the callers ear drums cause I couldn't hear with the tips in haha.
 
Sound is a little bass heavy and sound stage isn't as forward as I like (even for IEMs) but -4 to bass and +2 to treble with my FiiO gets them as good as they will be for my preferences, which is still very good.
Helmet hasn't arrived yet but I can tell they will fit seamlessly. Cheers for the tips I definitely wont have to sell and try others
 

 

[AstroTurf]

Cheers !!!

 

[Vargulf]

After the first few hours I have this pressured feeling in my ears like you get when you go up a mountain too fast which I never got with my brianwavz iems. Like theres not enough air available for my ears or something... :-s Has anyone experienced this, do I need to try non-foam comply tips? Or is this something you will always get with IEM's that fit this well.
 
The ONLY other persistent thing that is annoying me with my listening these days is my FiiO E17. I get a little bit of crackle always in the right headphone from the jack which I was hoping was the old Audio Techs jack plug but now same is happening with the new Shures. It's only when I move the plug in the jack slightly but can be annoying when I'm walking and the unit is in my pocket. FiiO has done it from out of the box. Also I have never had a DAC/amp before but I imagined I would be able to turn my phones media playback volume down to say 20% and the FiiO up for purer sound, but instead turning the FiiO to 60 (max) with a 16dB gain I can barely hear the music :s  I thought this is what an amp was meant to do...
Also there is some horrible 'beats audio' on/off thing on my phone that seems to just add muddy bass to the music and I find it surprising that connected through the FiiO you still hear the difference when turning this off and on. I kind of imagined a DAC would bypass all the audio nasties coming from a phone or computer?
I'm ripping with dBpoweramp direct from cds to flac and I still get slight crackle especially noticeable in between tracks even for albums that I imagine would have been recorded very cleanly i.e sarah brightman (FOR STUDYING DON'T LAUGH! lol). Eliminating this was my main reason for getting a DAC/amp so I have been fairly disappointed.
 
Do any of these symptoms point to a faulty unit or did I just overestimate what a DAC/amp could do?

 

[FieldingMellish]

Could be interference if you are using it with a phone or near a phone. Phone reestablishes cellular connection and a corresponding crackle occurs. This happens to me if I am using an amp such as my Arrow or Leckerton with the iPhone, so I switched to amping my eight year old iPod and no crackle since. The periodic crackle issue with amp connected to phone occurs no matter which IEM I use.
 
Edit - congratulations on the IEM. You're experiencing what I meant in build quality. As to its design and fit, you can envision slipping the helmet on without getting hung up on wires sticking out of or from the ears. Or removing a helmet and it gets snagged on the same wires and yanks one or both IEM's from the ear.
 
If the isolation is a hassle, try a tip that doesn't seal as well, such as the included silicones. Or modify fit for slightly less seal. Even with maximum seal, it's something you'll get used to. These all require adjustment. I, for instance, am digging the Etymotic HF3 I got on sale the other week and it took a while to get used to the tips that work for me. Same with my MeElectronics A161P.